Power industry group adds veteran Dem muscle

The Edison Electric Institute (EEI), a trade group that represents for-profit power companies is adding a veteran Democratic political and Capitol Hill staffer to its communications shop.

The group announced Wednesday that Ryan Rudominer will be its executive director of communications.

Rudominer comes to the job after working at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), where he was regional press secretary in the 2008 election cycle and national press secretary in the 2010 cycle.

He’ll be reunited with Brian Wolff, a senior EEI lobbyist and former executive director of the DCCC.

“Ryan is an innovative thinker who has the right combination of experience, drive and leadership savvy to craft and execute strategies and tactics that will help our industry define the issues,” said Wolff, a senior vice president with EEI.

The trade group has GOP ties as well. For instance, Brian McCormack, EEI’s vice president for political and external affairs, held several positions in the George W. Bush White House, while EEI President Thomas Kuhn was Bush’s roommate at Yale.

Rudominer has also worked for several members of Congress, and was most recently with the firm New Partners Consulting.

He arrives as the power industry faces a suite of challenges, including new air pollution rules; efforts to modernize an aging grid and link it to renewable sources; changes to derivatives trading rules that affect the industry; and initiatives to boost electric vehicles.

“This is a truly innovative industry at the forefront of improving America’s energy security, strengthening the economy and creating high quality American jobs. I’m very excited to be coming on board and helping to advance these important objectives,” Rudominer said in a statement.